Resource Attributes That Contribute to Nonresident Diver Satisfaction in the Florida Keys, Usa

Abstract

Scuba diving is a popular form of marine-based tourism contributing over $1 billion annually to the tourism industry in the Florida Keys. this research explores diver characteristics, how segmentation into meaningful subgroups can be achieved, and how various factors affect satisfaction. Data were collected from nonresident divers and a 10-item index was created based on respondents’ satisfaction. Discrepancy was calculated using the same items, and a specialization index was used to subgroup the respondents. Data were analyzed using step-wise regression. results revealed that discrepancies for individual items contributed to satisfaction, which differed according to specialization level. this suggests that satisfaction is related to both discrepancies between expectations and experiences, and specialization level, providing avenues for strategic marketing and management.